Marked Souls

by Adrienna Turner

  “Lavonne. Lavonne Taylor. Law clerk. She completed law school last year. San Diego. Thomas Jefferson Law School. She even transferred to take a double major at Cal Western, and graduated with honors.” Les sucked a breath, “this family never seems to underestimate my expectations. But we have to trap them. Suck them in. Believe in the falsehood. Hook them. Chip them. No escaping their final destination—Hell is the final journey, eternal life. Take another one from that One!”

  “One they call their god. The Christ.” Bernard added.

  “Don’t ever use or say that name in my presence!” Les stammered, choked and gagged.

  “What happened? Are you okay?” Bernard sounded concerned. “Les. Les. Hey, Les. Anyone there?”

  “Yeah. You still on the line?” Les hissed, making it obvious the call should’ve ended long time ago.

  “I wanna make sure you are cool.” Bernard remained cordial.

  “Whatever that means. Yes.” Les blew hot air.

  “Okay, whatever, Man.”

  “The monies are transferred to your chip. Check it on your device.” Les offered. “When’s the date?”

  “What date?”

  “Doodoo bird. Wedding date.” His voice rose as he made fists and punched the air at Bernard.

  “July. July 4th.”

  “Independence Day. Good one. Our Independence Day is coming near.”

  “I know, Sir. Commander. Les.” He stammered.

  “Les is perfectly fine.” Les said.

  “We need to shake up the place, on your wedding day, that is.”

  “What might that be, Sir? I mean, Les. Sir.”

  “B. Secured information. Make that wedding happen. Convince her, otherwise, we will!”

  “Yes, Sir. Les.” Bernard stammered. “Sorry, Les.”

  Les stood up, pressed the button and disconnected the call. Before he could call for his next appointment, Salvator strode into his office.

  “Hi, Salvator. What a pleasure. What brings you here, Sir Salvator?”

  “Soon, you’ll be addressing me as President. Chief Executor.”

  “True. Sir. Have a seat.” Les offered a seat and pulled the chair out for him.

  Salvator raised his hand slightly, refusing to be seated. “What happened with Roya? How did she escape?”

  “Gabriel, by all reports.”

  “Angel? Gabriel? It can’t be so.” Salvator rose in anger. “How could he be helping them! It’s our time.”

  “To reign. I’m completely aware, Salvator.” Les answered abruptly.

  “Watch your tone!” Salvator said, shaking his finger sternly. “You know who you are speaking to!”

  “My apologies, Sire.” Les gave a slight bow. “Once it goes as planned, no more visits or dreams from Lucifer. As our ruler he’ll unite with you as one.”

  “Yes. I’ll be wounded and healed. He’s shown me in many dreams. His presence is here.”

  “I know.”

  “Don’t dismiss my question. Have you got plans to destroy those believers?” He pounded his fists into his palm.

  “Bernard is assigned to her half-sister.”

  “The bastard child!” He gave a short laugh. “An adulterous affair that Lazarus had with a couple women. Lavonne is the other one of his loin.” Salvator added.

  “You do not lie.” Les emphasized the word lie. “Lavonne is next in our devious plans.”

  “Ah,” Salvator sighed in satisfaction. “How so?”

  “Bernard will not only marry Sondrea, but will press the chip, and if things don’t go as planned, we have a backup plan…we’ll kidnap Lavonne, shake up the clan, and trouble the hearts of their fellow believers…some will question their faith.”

  “Yes. Without their hope, there’s no faith. Without faith, they lose their love for the One!”

  “Correct. We cannot keep kidnapping Roya.” Les shook his head.

  “She keeps escaping you, anyway!”

  “But we were so close!” Les argued.

  “Not close enough.” Salvator roared, causing objects on Les’ desk to shake and fall. “She should be hanging next to her husband on that bridge!”

  Les nodded, and leered at the thought. He shifted the conversation to focus on the display of Solomon, “But, Salvator, none of them have succeeded at taking him down! We’ve managed to keep that body looking just as fresh and gory and smelly as it was the first day!”

  “We need that to shake up other believers. We’ve increased exponentially the numbers of people choosing to be chipped since that aired.” Salvator chuckled devilishly.

  “Exactly!”

  “But we need to tear this family apart. I don’t care how you do it…through manipulation, deception, deaths, make them the example!”

  “You’re will…will be done.”

  “Shake up the camp! What about Isaiah, or that Joshua?”

  “In due time. Their hope seems to be ethereal. I still must find something to destroy the substance of their soul. It’s easy to take His place in the hearts of those who don’t trust Him enough. For those people, it’s easier to trust men they can see and hear. The ACC people, well… we’ve never worked so hard!” Les rubbed his chin. His eyes averted elsewhere. He couldn’t look at his soon-to-be leader.

  “I need results, even if it’s like taking blood from a turnip. Make it happen.”

  “We’re playing chess, and knocking down the pawns, soon we’ll have the King laying on the board.”

  “Ha. Pawns. Pamela, but Jaizon was a no go.”

  “True, but he’s in the hands of Sondrea, whose sister is Roya. We’re in the camp. We got B there, working his magic on Sondrea. Soon, Lavonne, and may have to take what she loves most,” He laughed at the thought.

  “What’s so funny!” Salvator demanded, “Clue me in, now!”

  “Call on the true Master. He brought me back…from the dead.” Les frowned. He moved closer to the window, gazed at the city from the view.

  “Ah ha. Akira. Her infant. Moving too fast. Wedding date, July, then the child will be a year old, I believe.”

  “How’d you know? Did you tap my recent call?”

  “Les. Boy. Satan told me to tap in the source. He’s here, remember?” He cracked a smile. He folded his arms.

  “Back to the subject at hand. These are pawns.” Les reached into the air and closed his hand into a fist. “The leaders in line are Isaiah and then Joshua. Crush their world.”

  “Pieces!” Salvator roared with a laugh. Les joined in.

  “I got a better plan, but working out the technical difficulties and strategies to hit him at the right moment. He thinks we’re only after Roya and her family, but we shook up the auditorium with the boys!”

  “Did we get them?” Salvator interjected.

  “Negative.”

  “Not looking too good for you and your team.”

  “Not so fast. We got ears and eyes.” He pointed at his ears and then his eyes. “Agent Snoop is a traitor!”

  “Ah. I know that fellow. He’s one of our best on the squad of troopers.” Salvator cracked a wicked smile.

  “Salvator, Sir, he was.”

  “I cannot take your word for it.”

  “He’s working for them! He’s with Isaiah and ACC team.”

  “What? This can’t be!” Salvator drew closer and pounded on the desk.

  Les stepped away from the window. He quickly walked to his desk. “Sir. You don’t know your own strength with Satan present.” He noticed a crack in the wood. A few more powerful punches will split it in half.

  “It’s time to make our moves. You know how traitors end up!”

  Les took on an air of complete assurance. “We’ll be on it.”

  “When?”

  “But we still need him there.”

  “What’s the plan?”

  “Mister Salvator.” Les addressed him. “He doesn’t realize that we’ve got eyes on him, and doesn’t realize that we are on to him. And, even if he does, there isn’t any
way he’d be prepared for what we have coming his way!”

  “I like how you think.”

  “Me too.” Les stood upright. His eyes smiled, but his lips tightened.

  “Keep me abreast of every development.” Salvator stood at attention and waited as Les returned his salute.

  Les watched and heard the door slam. He eased back in his executive black chair. He rubbed the crack in the wood, stuck with a splinter, and yanked it out without tweezers. He pressed his code in his iPad, opened the security camera, and watched the video cam B submitted to Task Force Special Ops video chat. He received a notification to watch the current location on Agent Snoop. His vehicle was parked in front of what looked like a garage door. He thought about it. Old missile base? He scribbled down his notes: NEED SATELLITE FEED FOR COMMUNICATIONS, then paused to look at the location feed of the drone that had been following Snoop. He scribbled the latitude and longitude and smiled. She won’t be off the grid for long, he thought.

  CHAPTER 14

  Sweet Reunion

  Sondrea Willis

  Late Fall, Los Angeles, California

  Sondrea hung up the phone.

  Bernard creeped in the room. “Everything going as planned?”

  “You overheard that?” She quizzed. She wasn’t as concerned that he overheard her conversation, as she was about how they’d pay for this, with Bernard insisting that they go completely cashless. But she gazed dreamily at Bernard, and wanted what everyone else had—to be loved and married to the man she loved.

  “You were talking to the wedding planner, right?” He asked.

  She had no clue that he tapped in the phone call, overhearing the entire thing.

  Sondrea gave a slight nod.

  “Still set for July fourth?”

  “Of course, silly.” She teased and hit him on the arm when he drew closer to embrace her.

  “Yeah.” Sondrea dragged. “I sent invitations too. Family. Business partners. Musicians. Jaizon.”

  Bernard stood back and lifted her chin to watch her beautiful eyes. “And Jaizon will sing my favorite duet with you, right?”

  “In the plans. I’ll be focused on looking at you when I sing it. Bernard, I know you think you’ve got an awful voice, but I’d love to sing it with you. Jaizon won’t mind.”

  “I got my vows ready.” Bernard said, ignoring her request. “There’s one more thing…”

  Akira cried loudly in the background.

  “Honey, hold that thought. I gotta get her,” Sondrea said as she raced out of the room.

  Bernard followed her to Akira’s room.

  He muttered, “almost…”

  She turned her head as she sat in the rocking chair with Akira, “What—almost?”

  “Let me show you something.”

  “What do you have there?” Sondrea held Akira steady, bouncing her gently with her knee in the rocking chair.

  He drew to her side. He bent his knees, sitting on one. He held a small object in his hand. It was transparent.

  “What’s that? It’s so tiny.”

  “I know,” Bernard reached for her hand to touch it.

  “Why are you showing me this?”

  “I want you to not only become my wife, my life partner, but to follow…what I believe is best for us.”

  “What are you saying, Big B?” Her eyes squinted at the tiny chip.

  “Put this in your body. We’ll be connected beyond what your mind can imagine or fathom.”

  “We’re already one and I know you just fine, sweetie,” Sondrea cooed. She patted his other hand, holding on the arm of the chair.

  “Yes. Marriage does that.”

  “True. We became one a long time ago.”

  Bernard eyes lit. “Oh, you mean—”

  She gave a confirming nod.

  “Okay, I know you love me, right?” He changed gears.

  “Of course, silly,” She waved.

  “Would you do anything for me?” He lowered.

  “Where is all this coming from?” Sondrea squinted at him. She felt her throat become dry and swallowed a gulp of spit. Is he threatening our plans?

  She felt an eerie and ominous presence in the room as he stared into her eyes. Her hands felt chilled. She didn’t want to frighten Akira, yet she heard Akira yelp as if she saw or felt something too.

  “What’s going on, sweet Ah-kee-ra?” She turned Akira to her, trying to get her attention on her, but she jerked. Akira’s head bounced back and she fought to get out of her mother’s arms.

  “Let me take her,” Bernard reached for Akira.

  “I’ve got her.” Sondrea pulled Akira closer to her chest. She held her tightly. “Talk to me, Akira. What’s wrong?”

  “Mama,” She pointed at Bernard, and then her eyes darted at the door as if someone was entering.

  “You want Bernard?” She read the signals wrong.

  Akira squealed and wiggled out of her grip, and off her lap. She pressed into Bernard’s chest when he reached for her again, “No!” She jogged to the door. “Go!”

  “Who is she talking to?”

  Bernard rose off his knee. Both glanced at the door.

  “She’s scaring me. Do you see anything?”

  “No.”

  “I don’t either, B,” Sondrea gripped her shirt and tugged on it. “Get her B.”

  “She didn’t want me. I think you should…”

  “Why is she pushing at something like that…”

  “Air?”

  “It’s like she sees something.” Sondrea pondered. “She keeps yelling no and go.” She slowly rose from the rocking chair. As if glued in the spot, she stood stock still.

  “Come with me,” Sondrea said as she reached for his hand. He looked down at her hand, and held it, and started to walk towards Akira, Sondrea matched his footing.

  “Mommy’s here. Come here, Kee Kee.” Sondrea said softly.

  “No! Go! No! Go!” Akira slapped the air.

  “Tell Mommy who’s there?” Sondrea asked her.

  “Him.”

  “Him?”

  Akira nodded up and down. She continued to repeat the words said earlier and slapping the air. Shockingly, Akira formulated the word, “Jesus!” She didn’t utter, or mumble, or trip over the words to say his name. Sondrea gasped and held her hand over her mouth.

  “She said…how? How does she know his name?”

  “Whoa. She didn’t even stutter. Geez,” Bernard’s voice sounded shocked.

  “Mommy.” She jerked on her hand to come closer. “Jesus. There.” She pointed.

  “What’s going on!” Sondrea eyes widened and bottom lip dropped. “How is this happening? She’s turning one.”

  “She’s bright, Sweetheart…don’t underestimate the mouths of babes.” Bernard shook her lightly.

  She dropped to her knees in front of Akira.

  “You see, Him?”

  She nodded. “He…he…” She pointed in the direction where the invisible being stood, yet Akira clearly could see a figuration of him in her bedroom.

  “Then, why were you saying, ‘no. go?’” Sondrea studied her daughter.

  “Him,” Akira said as she shook her head. Suddenly Akira’s face changed. Her cheeks became rosy. She gagged and went into a convulsion.

  “No! Help me, B.”

  “I got her,” Bernard held her in his arms, making sure she didn’t swallow her tongue.

  When things settled down, Bernard shook his finger. “Ow! That kid can bite!” You think Akira really saw this man they call Jesus?”

  “I don’t know. I believe so.” Sondrea breathed heavily. “But why when I asked who she spoke to earlier, she went into, well, you know.”

  “Seizure.”

  “She never did that before.”

  “She’s fine now.”

  “Yes, but—”

  “Look. I wanted you to connect with me on a deeper level.”

  “We are connected like I said earlier!” She spoke each syllable. She felt
anger rage inside. “What’s this about?” She threw her hands up. “That chip thingy?”

  “Yes. Will you—” Bernard begged, as Sondrea interjected angrily.

  “How dare you even ask me after what has happened!” Sondrea snapped. She hopped out of the bed and zoomed out of the bedroom.

  “Ooh. What’s wrong with that man! The nerve of him!” She said to herself as she stomped down the hall.

  She then recalled Roya’s belittling words when she’d asked her to attend. Roya said that she had to be out of her living mind to proceed with a wedding, getting married so matter-of-factly, while there was an increase in Artificial Intelligence at the hands of the Information Age of Terror and HIPAA laws losing their edge because of the ability of Global Positioning Satellites to track everyone’s movements and activities through the usage of microchips, 24-Pentagon monitored satellites, and Task Force Special Ops presence at checking points. Digital surveillance and obtaining ubiquitous records on people—all six to seven billion persons on the earth. She shook her head at the nonsense the news outlets would rehash of things going on in the world and never reveal the more sinister picture. Worldly views constantly delivered through an online live store, and all types of media—madness.

  Roya

  Roya heard the I Surrender All ring tone play, indicating she was getting a phone call. She searched and dug through her Gucci handbag until she located it and took a look at the screen.

  “Hello, Sondrea,” she said, hearing only silence. She glanced at the cellphone display.

  MISSED CALL: Sondrea

  She punched at the phone icon to call her back and stared at Sondrea’s photo while it rang. Two rings later, she heard a click on the other end.

  “Hey Roya. What happened? I tried to call you a minute ago.”

  “Sondrea, not sure. I dug in my Gucci bag to grab my phone. Hit TALK button. Said hello. No one on the call. And glanced at it, seeing, I missed your call.” Roya explained. “Wassup, Sis?”

  “I know it’s been a hot minute since we last talked, and saw each other.”

  “True.”

  “What’s up with Lavonne? Did you forget her too?” Sondrea joked.

  “Oh. Lavonne? I forgot about Lavonne.” She sighed. “Have you spoken to her since the church event?”

  “Slow down.”

  “You’re right,” she responded with a laugh. “Taking in a couple breaths now.”